Opening a book creates a whole new world of exploration of the imagination. Every turn of the sharp crisp pages leads to a new discovery, an intriguing sense of the mind to where you will never be capable of putting a book down for even a second. As a child there are countless memories I can recollect of learning to read and experiencing that same exact feeling. Many people have been influential in the process of my own literary advancement over the years. Only a few of those people stick out very vividly in my mind, Mrs.Kathy, Mrs.Shannon, and my grandfather Odom. Mrs.Kathy was one of the first individuals to introduce me to reading and it all started with bedtime stories. I can remember crawling into the tall hickory wood sleigh bed in the guest room and bundling up with every stitch of blanket underneath the reading lamp. The eagerness that set in my brain could not wait for Mrs.Kathy to turn the first page and dive into a world of imagination. As she sat down on the edge of the bed she would start reading excerpts out of an old story book. While she was reading I would read along in my mind until I could only hear a faint whisper of her voice following silence as I drifted into a light sleep. Afterwards, I would hear the lamp switch make a clicking sound and the door creak as it came to a shut. Laying there in silence for a few minutes I would roll over, turn the lamp on, pick the old story book back up and read page after page until my hearts content. It was in those moments I first discovered my love for reading. When I was eight years old a lady that I call Mrs.Shannon had bought me my first library card at the Hempstead County library. Having a library card was just like owning a piece of gold in my eyes. Almost every time the library was open Mrs.Shannon would take me to check out books. I can remember walking through the big tall book shelves filled with dusty old books searching for just the right one. Once I discovered it I would look for another one and then run to the front desk as quietly as I could to set the books down on the counter to check out. On the ride home almost immediately I would start reading one of the books and within two days they were completed. Every time I spent the night with my grandparents, around eight o’clock my grandfather would call me over to sit in his lap for reading time. He would always read one of my favorite books called “The Cricket in Times Square”. Listening attentively to each word spoken I would then ask if I could read the book to my grandfather. Hours passed and we would still be sitting there in the recliner reading the book. Once we were finished reading, it was bedtime. Even though my grandfather and I finished the book I would still ask to read “The Cricket in Times Square” every night I spent with them. Opening a book with every turn of a crisp sharp page still to this day leads me to new discoveries and intrigues my mind to the point to where I am incapable of setting a book down. Recollecting memories and experiences from my literary advancement over the years is a wonderful thing to reflect on. The three most influential people in the process of my advancement, Mrs.Kathy, Mrs.Shannon, and my grandfather Odom will always stick out very vividly in my mind. I am truly thankful for all of the effort each one of these individuals have put toward my literary advancement.